Malaysian Match Racing Championship - Jeremy Koo defends his title

Malaysian Match Racing Championship (MMRC) - Jeremy Koo (Abdullah Chan/KRT) emerged winner of the MMRC held at Ri-Yaz Heritage Spa and Resort in Pulau Duyong, Kuala Terengganu. Following a dramatic race to the finish, Koo emerged victorious and won the chance to represent Malaysia at the Monsoon Cup, which will take place at the same venue in Terengganu from 22nd to 27th November.

The MMRC semi-finals continued today with Jeremy Koo (Abdullah Chan/KRT) having a one-point lead over Masyuri Rahmat (MAF2). But Masyuri Rahmat returned with a two-point lead forcing Koo to up his game in the five-match race. Koo finally won the last two matches bringing his total score to three points, and a chance to race at the semi-finals.

Meanwhile Hazwan Hazim Dermawan (Permai Hotel Match Racing Team) tried to take back his lead after losing to Mohd Romzi Muhamad (UPM Sailing Team) in the first round of the semi-finals. He easily won the second and third match but Mohd Romzi put up a fight during the fourth match before admitting defeat to Hazwan Hazim.

Koo and Masyuri Rahmat drew lots for their boats with Koo getting the TM boat, which took him to victory last year and Hazwan Hazim assigned to the yacht sponsored by the Ministry of Youth and Sports Malaysia. Similarly, Mohd Romzi was assigned the Malaysia Airlines boat and Masyuri Rahmat, the Ri-Yaz Heritage Spa and Resort boat to sail during the petit finals.

Masyuri Rahmat started off the finals with a one-point lead but Mohd Romzi was not about to let him win that easily and evened the score in the second match. But the deciding match went to Masyuri Rahmat and the underdog had to settle for fourth place.

The finals started off with Koo in the lead but his easy victory was upset by a two-point lead by Hazwan Hazim. In the third match, Hazwan almost won if not for a penalty in the pre-start. This left Koo with hopes of securing a victory, which he did in the last match.

'I would like to thank my crew for excellent handling of the boat. We were under tremendous pressure today. Hazwan and his team put up a good fight and were strong contenders. I’m going into the Monsoon Cup with hopes of bettering our previous results and hopefully score a point for Malaysia. We are very optimistic and with the support of our sponsor Abdullah Chan, we look forward to making this happen,' said Koo.